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Former prime minister William Lyon Mackenzie King once said that “while some countries have too much history, we have too much geography.” However, having a shorter history is no guarantee that our citizens are more likely to know it well.

According to a 2009 survey commissioned by the Dominion Institute, less than half of Canadians between the ages of 18 and 35 could identify John A. Macdonald, Canada’s first prime minister, from his portrait. Less than one in 10 could identify former NDP leader Tommy Douglas, and barely one in five recognized Metis leader Louis Riel. Even former prime minister Pierre Trudeau was unknown by almost half of Canadians in the same cohort.

Last year, federal Minister of Citizenship and Immigration Jason Kenney introduced a new citizenship guide. In order to be granted citizenship, applicants must now demonstrate sufficient knowledge of essential Canadian history. The guide devotes 10 pages to a chronological overview of key events in our history. Any applicant who does not master these facts cannot pass the citizenship test.

Since we expect new citizens to be familiar with Canadian history, it makes sense to apply the same standard to those who grow up in this country.

This is why most people expect schools to ensure students learn the key events in Canadian history.

While there will always be debate around what historical events are most important, it’s not difficult to identify some fundamental things everyone should know.

For example, few would dispute that all Canadians should be familiar with our Confederation of 1867, Samuel de Champlain’s founding of Quebec City in 1608, Canada’s contribution during the two world wars, and the patriation of the Constitution in 1982.

Controversial episodes such as Indian residential schools, the Chinese Head Tax, and the forced relocation of Japanese Canadians during World War II should also be studied.

Understanding our past, warts and all, makes us better able to grapple with the issues confronting our country today.

Because education is a provincial responsibility, there are no national history standards. Unfortunately, most provinces fail to provide an adequate history curriculum to public school students, a fact well-documented by renowned historian Jack Granatstein in his book, Who Killed Canadian History?

Although every province includes some Canadian history in the elementary grades, most do not require high school students to take a full course on the subject, but prescribe nebulous social studies courses instead.

Manitoba, however, stands out as a bright light. Not only are all Manitoba grade 11 students required to take Canadian history, the course content is arranged chronologically. Other provinces would do well to follow Manitoba’s example.

Much of the inadequate teaching of history in our schools stems from a faulty educational philosophy.

Prospective teachers are told by their education professors not to focus on making sure students learn a core knowledge base, but rather to emphasize the so-called process of learning.

As a result, schools focus on abstract concepts such as globalization, nationalism, and social justice at the expense of specific knowledge and skills.

— Zwaagstra is a research fellow with the Frontier Centre (www.fcpp.org ) and a high school history teacher in Manitoba. He is co-author of the book What’s Wrong With Our Schools and How We Can Fix Them.